Friday, February 10, 2017

Of only the rest of their lives could go as smoothly as when they're together.

Nolan Carmichael is getting a fresh start—new career, new company, new
life. The only problem is, he liked his old life just fine . . . until an
accident robbed him of his health, his job, his self-confidence, and his
ability to go out in public without having anxiety attacks.

Zack Anderson has scared away his last four executive assistants. So
when he hires Nolan on a whim, he’s not too worried, since Nolan will be gone
within the week anyway. Two weeks later, Nolan has made himself indispensable,
completely reforming Zack’s schedule, life . . . and libido.

But in a company already torn by internal politics, one wrong step
could ruin both their careers. And not only are they working to reopen Ringside
Gym, Zack’s retreat when he was a troubled teen, but they also can’t help
themselves falling for each other. If only the rest of their lives could go as
smoothly as things do when they’re alone together.

Thank you for having me here today. I’m so happy to be able to talk to you about my new book, WORKING IT, which is book one in my new Ringside Romance series. Don’t let the series title fool you, this is low on the boxing and high on sexual tension.

As an avid reader of all things romance, I personally love it when authors take chances and play around with what we consider typical romance tropes. Those situations that for whatever reason, really work for us as lovers of romance. One of my personal favorite tropes is the whole boss-assistant dynamic. There’s something wonderful about the tension that can be created when two people are working together, under pressure and in close quarters, that appeals to me.

I wanted to take this trope and do something a little fun with it. What would happen if both the characters were gay? What if they were so vastly different that under any other circumstance they probably never meet, let alone fall in love? What if they worked day in and day out in an office together?

In WORKING IT, Nolan Carmichael is working through the trauma of a serious car accident. He gets a job as Zack Anderson’s executive assistant, a position that no one at the company wants. Somehow the two of them work through their differences and fall in love.

I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

Excerpt...

Max clicked his tongue. “Huh.”

“What?”

“Nothing. You’re just full of surprises.”

Zack’s cell chose that moment to sound off. “Shit.”

“What?”

The notification tone he’d specifically assigned to Samantha Rollins told him who’d emailed without his having to look at the name. Problem with the Korean shipment of the network appliance. “I have to head back to the office.”

“Something wrong?”

“Nothing I can’t handle.” He was the best at putting out fires, a skill set Samantha had taken advantage of for the past three years. “But I won’t be stopping in tonight.”

“Good, that’ll leave some of the hot guys for me for a change.”

“Like you’ve ever had a problem with that before.”

“I take it your assistant won’t be with you this evening?”

“No. Starts Monday.”

“That’s good. Don’t want to burn the poor boy out before he’s even gotten his feet wet. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear from my investor and I can set up a meeting between the two of you.”

“Thanks. I’ll talk to you next week about it.”

Traffic had kicked up considerably since his arrival, as people began their treks home from work. The buses and subway would be packed, but faster than a taxi. Still, Zack flagged the closest one down, not wanting to deal with the off and on and jostling of bodies.

The moment the door closed and the cab pulled into traffic, Zack knew it had been a mistake. Being stuck in the backseat with nothing but his thoughts was liable to drive him nuts. He pulled out his phone and read through Samantha’s email, ensuring he had a grasp on the situation. Someone else had screwed up, and she needed him to smooth things over. Typical and easy enough to sort through.

A new email popped onto the top of the screen from Nancy in HR.

New Hire Confirmation: Nolan Carmichael

Nothing was set in stone yet. He could easily brush the entire incident off and Nancy would no doubt find another role for the man, or at the very least let him down easy. Zack had no illusions about how difficult he was to work with. Nolan seemed like a decent sort, and shouldn’t be subjected to him.

No one should.

He hit Reply, his thumbs poised over the screen keyboard to tell her never mind, that it had been a horrible idea.

And yet.

God, he couldn’t put his finger on it, but there’d been something about Nolan—about the way he’d looked in the bathroom, scared and lost—that spoke to him. Zack had been that way once, back before Russel had taken him in at the gym as part of his program. Nolan might not exude the same confidence Zack had, but neither had he shied away from him once Zack hijacked the interview. Nolan had held his gaze, given concise answers to his questions, and didn’t once look as though Zack was the Devil incarnate.

That was more than he could say for most employees at Compass.

Running on the same impulse that seemed to have been at his back all day, he typed out a terse acknowledgment. Nolan Carmichael, for good or ill, would start Monday morning as his new assistant.

Zack could only hope he wasn’t making a mistake. For both their sakes.

To read this excerpt in its entirety, learn more about the Author, book or series.... visit Riptide Publishing.

A romance novelist and short story writer, Christine has over thirty
publications to her name. She loves to exercise and stops writing just long
enough to keep her body in motion too. When she’s not pretending to be a ninja
in her basement, she’s most likely spending time with her family and two dogs.

To celebrate the release of Working It, one lucky winner will
receive a $25 Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with your contact info
to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on February 11,
2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the
tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Be sure to leave a comment to be entered into the TTC Books and more monthly comment giveaway. EVERY comment that is relevant to the specific post will be entered. Prizes include various gift cards and swag donated by Publishers, Authors and blog Owner. REMEMBER TO LEAVE YOUR CONTACT INFO! How else will I notify you if you win?